Valerie Harper 'close to remission'

Aug. 29, 2013
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by Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY

by Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY

The rumors that Valerie Harper will be on the new season of Dancing With the Stars are now making a little more sense.

In a Today show segment this morning, the star was shown receiving very optimistic and good news regarding her brain cancer. She said in March that "three months" was her life expectancy.

But based on her latest MRI in June, Harper, 74, is beating back the cancer for now. "I'd say that we're getting pretty close to a remission," neuro-oncologist Jeremy Rudnick is seen telling her and Meredith Vieira in a clip from a documentary that will air Sept. 19 at 10 p.m. on NBC.

"It defies the odds," he added.

In the special, Harper and her husband, Tony Cacciotti, discuss how she's faced the disease, using traditional chemotherapy alongside acupuncture and Chinese tea.

While Harper stresses there is "no cure" and her doctor says the cancer will become resistant to treatment, Cacciotti is happy.

"Going from having three months to live, or less; we're into our sixth month, and now there's even hope beyond that. Right now we're looking at ..."